Our Ideal Beach House—Laid-Back with a Hint of City Slicker—Is in Careyes, Mexico

Shopping for an entire two-bedroom house in one day would be 100% impossible for most. Not designer and artist Sara Beltran. In fact, when telling me about it, she made the process seem fun. And anyway, it was necessary—the home is located in an area on the Pacific coast of Mexico so private that every property has a name rather than a numbered address. "It’s a very exclusive place and it’s very hard to get stuff there," says Sara of Careyes, as the estate is called. Her client had brought her into the fold months before to hammer out the bigger picture, but the designer had just one shot to figure out all of the details—there are no stores in Careyes for last-minute purchases and it's a long three-hour drive away from the closest major city, Puerto Vallarta.

So, on her way to Careyes, Sara took a 24-hour shopping trip to Mexico City with her client. Perusing the flea markets wasn't an option (they were closed that day), so the duo popped into a handful of boutiques in search of artwork and accessories made by Mexican artisans. Bright pops of color and cozy textures were top priority, considering pretty much the entire residence is crafted of concrete. We're talking the walls, the floors, the countertops, and even the base of the sofa. (The abundance of concrete is typical in Mexico, says Sara, due to how corrosive salt can be.)

The apartment complex where the house is located used to be a hotel, and includes three pools and a restaurant. Oh, and the ocean views aren't bad either.

Photo: Sara Beltran

Treasures in tow, they made the long journey to the house, named Coco Beach Casita. Sara jumped right into the fray with the architect, customizing the kitchen cabinets and appointing tile from Michoacán for the bathroom backsplash. A large-scale painting by Sara herself was one of the last pieces of the puzzle, something the client loved so much that she's asked Sara to replicate it in her New York bedroom. "Every minute counted," Sara recalls. "I painted it there!"

Renting a place in Careyes—there are also no hotels in the area—can run you up to $9,000 a night, but Sara excitedly points out that Coco Beach Casita is different. It rents for closer to $700 per night, a comparative steal. OK, it's still pricey, but it's in the realm of possibility if you bring your lunch from home for long enough. In the meantime, we've pulled together the greatest decorating hits from Coco Beach Casita (which you can easily replicate in your own place!).

The super-modern sculpture in the super-simple living room: When Sara saw artist Orfeo Quagliata's funky glass sculptures in Mexico City, she knew one needed to end up in her client's home. "Careyes has a very particular style: It’s very ’60s and ’70s, and it's never evolved," says Sara. "I told my client, 'You are very sophisticated!'" We wanted to put something modern in the place. We worked with the artist to have something custom made."

The glossy, jet-black kitchen stools: Sara had her mind set on designing black stools for the kitchen peninsula, but she had to work to convince her client. "She didn’t want black in the apartment," Sara says. "But I like Art Deco, so I said, 'You have to trust me on this one.'" It might've been tough for the client to imagine at first, but in an all-gray-everything concrete space, black doesn't feel cold. Rather, it warms everything up. "Now she loves the stools," Sara adds.

Photo: Sara Beltran

The free decorative accents: When Sara arrived in Careyes, she asked someone to drive her to not one but four different beaches, on the hunt for natural elements to incorporate into the space. Her dogged search paid off. She came back with driftwood, coconuts, coral pieces, and a ton of shells, all of which now dot the various built-in shelves. "I love doing vignettes," says Sara.

Photo: Sara Beltran

That one huge branch: In the bathroom, Sara stuck a particularly large piece of driftwood on the floor—it's so big it can also serve as a makeshift seat.

Photo: Sara Beltran

The pairs of pendants everywhere: First, there's the aesthetic benefit of pendant pairs. "It looks more sophisticated," Sara explains. "I love symmetry." Then, there's the practical: Replace a lamp with a couple of pendants, and suddenly you've got a wide-open space for a much more useful side table.

Photo: Sara Beltran

The breezy rattan cabinet doors: To balance out all the concrete and chunky built-in furniture, Sara insisted on airy rattan cabinets for the kitchen and bathroom. Big stretches of standard solid wood doors would've looked way too heavy. (Pssst, remember those custom stools? Their wicker backs happen to tie in perfectly.)

Photo: Sara Beltran

The palm tree painting made on the fly: "When I was waiting for the architect, the wall felt so flat," says Sara of the expanse opposite the living room sofa. She decided a piece of art was in order, and she would do the painting herself—right then and there, using whatever was available. "The architect built the canvas for me and primed it with the painters," she remembers. "It’s the biggest one I’ve ever done."

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